In early September, it was announced that a decision had been handed down by a U.S. District Court Judge regarding an ongoing lawsuit by public health advocates and parents against a Southern California school district. The lawsuit resulted after the discovery of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in the caulks at several of the district’s schools. The case had previously made national headlines when a well-known supermodel had her children stop attending one of the schools due to health concerns for her children.

According to media reports, the judge’s ruling prevents the school district from using any rooms after the last day of 2019 in the buildings in question unless the surrounding caulk has been replaced from all window and door systems. The school district has a modernization plan to replace all doors and windows in buildings constructed before 1979.

According to research conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Caulk put in place between 1950 and 1979 may contain as much as 40 percent PCBs and can emit PCBs into the surrounding air. PCBs from caulk may also contaminate adjacent materials such as masonry or wood.” The production of PCBs was halted in the United States in the late 1970s.

“PCBs in caulking materials are likely an issue at additional schools in California and throughout the nation,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager at LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “Caulking is not the only building material that may contain PCBs. Some existing paints, mastics, sealants, adhesives, specialty coatings and fluorescent light ballasts put in place before the PCBs ban may also contain the chemicals.”

LA Testing’s environmental experts can help to identify PCBs that can persist in buildings and contaminate surfaces, dust, soil and a building’s indoor air quality (IAQ). They have multiple laboratories throughout California and offer all of the sampling supplies and testing services to identify this and many other potentially hazardous compounds.

LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, NVLAP, CDC ELITE, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including Huntington Beach, San Diego, San Leandro and South Pasadena.